Mike Fisher thrives as veteran on young Predators squad

Mike Fisher is a simple guy. The Peterborough, Ont., native plays a north-south, dependable game that always keeps him in his coach’s good graces. There is little flash, yet loads of consistency from the Nashville Predators center. He stays away from controversy and his low-maintenance personality, yet charming demeanor make him endearing to both media and fans.

Yup, that’s Mike Fisher. A good Canadian boy who plays the game the right way and earned his keep in the NHL through sheer dedication and persistence. There is one thing we didn’t mention just yet though. This two-way, coach’s dream is also married to one of the biggest country music stars on the planet, Carrie Underwood.

Yeah, life is pretty nice for the Predators No. 1 center, who started his career in Ottawa and played 11 seasons with the Senators. In Ottawa, Fisher found his niche as a pivot who could play in all situations – a perfect player for the Senators prospects to model their game after. In 2010-11, the organization made the difficult decision to trade Fisher to the Predators in an effort to rebuild their franchise and carve out a new identity.

With that, Fisher found a new home in Nashville, one he could share with his superstar wife (the six-time Grammy Award winner was born and raised in Tennessee).

Fisher is far from an offensive catalyst. The highest point total he has in his NHL career was in 2009-10 when he tallied 53. But going bar-down and dangling opposing defenseman is not how Fisher has earned respect from players and coaches around the league. It’s because he plays an honest game where the little things matter the most. Chipping pucks out at the right time, winning a key faceoffs in his own zone and taking a hit to make a play. These are all consistent elements to his game.

The Predators are the sixth youngest team in the NHL with an average age of 26.8. Along with Shea Weber, David Legwand and Matt Cullen, Fisher acts as somewhat of a grey beard on his squad and his play has really picked up as of late. He has collected six points in his past two games, including a goal and two helpers in a 6-4 win against the Red Wings tonight. Here is Fisher’s goal against the Wings and, just as advertised, it’s nothing flashy. But just like Fisher, it gets the job done.